In a 'Dear Colleague' memo seeking support for his bill, Saccone wrote that his legislation "will be another great rallying cry for us to save babies around this state and possibly around the nation."

In his memo, Saccone wrote that his bill "would require all physicians, before proceeding with an abortion, to determine whether the baby has a heartbeat. If the baby has a heartbeat, then the abortion cannot be performed.

"You may have heard the slogan that 'abortion stops a beating heart," but as with the federal legislation introduced in Congress, a beating heart will stop abortion," he wrote.

In a statement, Democrat Wolf, who vetoed an earlier GOP attempt to ban abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, said Saccone's proposal is "even more extreme" than the one that netted his veto.

"I will do everything in my power to stop this dangerous and unconscionable attack on women's health care," Wolf said. "I have met personally with women who've faced the difficult medical decision to end a pregnancy and they are loving and compassionate people who often are facing their worst nightmare. Republicans in Harrisburg show a tremendous disrespect for these women and their abilities to make their own health."

Wolf added that "women's health care decisions should be between them, their doctor, and their families - there is no space for Harrisburg politicians to insert themselves," into such a personal matter.

Saccone is currently locked in a primary fight with state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Allegheny, for the GOP nomination for the 14th Congressional District in western Pennsylvania. The two pols have each been trying to out-conservative the other in commercials airing in the district.

Saccone was on the losing end of a nationally watched special election in March against Democrat Conor Lamb, who's now running in the newly created 17th District, where he'll face GOP U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus this fall.

Abortion rights advocates are mobilizing against Saccone's bill, punching up the fact that it flies in the face of the court precedent that protects abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation.

One of the three GOP gubernatorial hopefuls, state Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York, has explicitly said he'd support Saccone's bill. Former healthcare consultant Paul Mango said he had not seen the legislation, but was committed to fostering "a culture of life" in the state.

Pittsburgh attorney Laura Ellsworth said that if it ever became law, Saccone's bill would be struck down as unconstitutional. Ellsworth said she would "focus on pro-life legislation that would withstand constitutional challenge."

Because of his explicit support, Wagner, the GOP-endorsed candidate for governor, was the subject of criticism from Planned Parenthood Advocates, the political wing of the women's health organization.

Wagner "has proven time and time again that he doesn't understand the health-care challenges that women face and he really doesn't care. His positions are not only cruel, but also dangerous, as they could strip a woman's access to reproductive care and take away their rights," Sari Stevens, the group's executive director said in a statement. "In striking contrast, Gov. Wolf has shown real leadership on reproductive health access, and has already vowed to veto this bill. The choice in this race couldn't be clearer."

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